48 THE COMMON HERON. 



Mr. John Thomson has favoured me with the following 

 interesting account of the Heronry at Mertoun : 



" Considering its size and habits, the Heron may be 

 termed plentiful in the south-western district of Berwick- 

 shire. At all hours of the day, and every day, it may be 

 observed winging its heavy flight to or from its feeding 

 places. Yet on some days the naturalist may walk mile 

 after mile on Tweedside, even close past a Heronry, without 

 seeing a single bird. This is especially the case when the 

 Tweed is in high flood. On these occasions it seems to 

 prefer the tributary streams, ditches, and pools, to the 

 swift-running river and its discoloured waters. In the 

 summer time it is nearly always on the look out for food. 

 On several occasions, when fishing for trout at night, I have 

 disturbed a Heron from his favourite stream, while it was so 

 dark that, had it not been for his scream, I would have been 

 unaware of his presence. The screaming of the bird on 

 these occasions is rather odd, as it seldom screeches when 

 disturbed in the day time. More than once I have seen 

 Herons fishing by moonlight, and noticed that they sounded 

 their alarm note. It is a remarkably sage-looking and 

 silent bird, though when near the nest it is often heard 

 giving warning of its approach to its mate. One of the 

 largest Heronries on the Borders is at Mertoun. The nests 

 are built on the high beeches on an eminence in the western 

 part of the policies. The Heronry is situated on a peninsula, 

 and on three sides is only about three hundred yards from 

 the Tweed. The beeches are noble trees, large in the trunk 

 and particularly fine in their foliage. The nests are placed 

 in secure positions on the slender boughs, which in many 

 cases seem to be too small to sustain them. Lord Polwarth 

 is particularly careful that the Heronry shall not be molested 

 in any way, and as the nests are perfectly inaccessible, the 

 birds are always able to rear their young in peace. Yet the 



